Equestria Girls: Kamen Rider Karasu

November 1st, 2013, 3:33pm

The four-stroke engine roared in her ears, only slightly muffled by her helmet. Her heart pounded with excitement as the speedometer ticked past 100 km/h. Weaving through traffic like this should have been terrifying, but to Nebula it felt as natural as breathing. This is what really makes a Kamen Rider live up to the name.

Thanks to the shock absorption from the armour granted to her by the Build System, she felt almost none of the normal drag from riding in a more relaxed posture. Plus, it was hard to give her a speeding ticket or fine her for driving without a licence if she was armoured up. They’d probably have to use Guardians just to force me to pull me over.

She couldn’t let her internal dialogue distract her too much from her mission, though. It was an early dismissal day, and the idea had been to meet up with everyone at the Brighthouse Café to actually catch up on things, and finally meet Argyle to thank him for the laptop, bag, and the gift card that funded her school supplies. In fact, not even five minutes earlier, she’d been in the back of Fluttershy’s van. Funny how things like Smash get in the way of things, though.

“Get back here, you coward!” she cried out as she ducked a bundle of steel bars on the back of a truck that had been turning left just ahead of her. In her Kamen Rider identity, she’d been chasing after a strange smash for a while now, and she was already caught up. After all, she had to get out of the van, find a place to transform, and turn her phone into a motorcycle, which in turn gave the creature a huge head start. “The rest of your ilk have all been fixated on destruction! So why are you running!?”

It was times like this that she wished she had a ranged option other than the Magnum Fullbottle or her Tempo Reaper’s Million Hit attack. The former’s arm cannon would be too awkward to fire safely from a bike, and the latter was too dangerous to wield in the afternoon traffic. Given the type of Smash she was chasing, she could use all the help she could get. It was bad enough that it could fly, but it also seemed to be another Magic Smash, turning only long enough to try and launch cars at her.

The creature that was keeping ahead of her, just above the traffic line was very similar to the sketch of what had been labelled the Flying Smash in the Re:Build documents, possessing broad hands that resembled the feathers of a bird’s wings, and atop its avian-looking head, a wide-brimmed headpiece that could be compared to a stealth bomber sat atop its head. Unlike the one on file, however it was green, currents of green energy occasionally wrapping around it.

“Come on!” she whined as she whipped past a crowd of civilians with their phones out, taking pictures or recording as she passed. “You’re making me look desperate!”

Finally, the Smash paid Karasu more than just a token bit of attention, slowing to a stop just long enough to wave one arm at her in a back-handing motion. It emitted wind with such force that the vehicles ahead of her were picked up and overturned. A sedan ended up flying straight at her, and she had to throw herself into a slide that almost completely knocked her from the bike.

“I’ve had it!” she growled, grabbing a golden Fullbottle with the black half of a taijitu etched upon it from her strap. She hadn’t had any chance to test this one since discovering its accidental purification yesterday, but if she could grab the Smash with magic, it’d be child’s play. Not trusting she could safely transform on her motorcycle, she pulled over and dismounted. She replaced the Scythe bottle with the new bottle, and began cranking the Build Driver.

«Raven!»

«Darkness!»

«Magic Match?»

«Are you ready?»

An inky-black darkness surged out the side of the driver, looking to cover every inch not covered by the Raven armour. Her entire body felt energised, and somehow more flexible. Flexing the fingers on her left hand, she could just out make out bone white spurs at her fingertips as the shadows shifted. A similar spur emerged at her right knee and left elbow.

«Quoth the Raven, Nevermore!»

Instinctively, she slammed her left fist down into the shadow of a car. To her amazement, her fist rocketed out from the side of a building’s shadow, as though her arm were elastic, and slammed into the Flying Smash. Sparks showered down on the street and the cars below.

As her extended arm began to contract, Karasu grabbed the Smash by its wrist, digging her bony claws in despite the metallic texture. When her arm disappeared back into the shadow of the building, so too did the monster, emerging from the ground in front of her like a radish. She heaved it up over her head and slammed it into the concrete, quickly following up with a rain of blows.

The Flying Smash counterattacked by buffeting her with yet more wind, knocking her back and away. It took advantage of her disorientation to start flying upward, deciding to rain down violent winds upon the city. She could only watch as it flew higher and higher, far beyond the reach of even the deepest shadows... Unless.

«Magitech Finish!»

Kamen Rider Karasu threw a skyward punch into the air. The shadow enshrouding half her body rocketed off of her, leaving parts of her clad only in the black bodysuit and helmet of the armour. The mass shadow temporarily stole all the darkness from around her before taking the form of a massive black bird covered in spurs of white bone. It let out a loud caw before chasing after the Smash.

She watched the shadowy bird intently as it caught the monster in its talons. When the giant raven began diving directly down toward her, the rider prepared to jump. The bird and smash grew closer and closer, but as it cleared the roof-line, it turned into clouds, returning to encompass her body. When she jumped and caught the now-falling Smash with an axe kick, it was like a fireworks factory had exploded around her, showering her and the rest of the street with sparks.

When she touched down on the ground, an empty Fullbottle had already manifested in her darkness-enshrouded hand. There were police and EMTs with gurneys already rushing down in between cars from both sides. They must have been following the chase on the roads to either side. The woman in a hospital gown revealed when the unpurified Nebula Gas had been drained thankfully did not begin to break down into pure energy. Still, she looked every bit as feverish as the other survivors had been.

The moment a paramedic-led gurney came to a stop by the victim, Karasu made her way over to her bike. Not too long after she picked it back up, some of the boys in blue surrounded her, firearms drawn. Several conflicting orders were thrown her way as she mounted her motorcycle, and she couldn’t help but snort.

“Get down on the ground.”

“Don’t move!”

“Put your hands in the air!”

“Turn around, slowly!”

“Dismount the motorcycle and surrender!”

What a fine mess this is, she thought to herself. “Okay, I’m gonna follow exactly one of those orders,” she remarked in a sarcastic tone that likely did not carry over thanks to the distortion effect. “I’ll get down on the ground... very low on the ground... like a shadow.” Carefully, she allowed herself—and her bike by proxy—to sink into the shadow of the nearby building, focusing on coming up in an alley a few blocks from the café. For a moment, she was convinced they were actually going to start shooting. “Instead of wasting time trying to arrest me, how about you go be useful and help the people who are trapped in overturned vehicles.”

Once she was submerged in the shadow, she felt completely disoriented. It was kind of like swimming, except that she was the water and the world moved around her. When she finally came back up, she was in a dark alley nowhere near the combat site. What a detour!

Before she disengaged her transformation, she returned her bike to its normal phone state. She then removed the belt and stuck it in the messenger bag slung across her back, beneath her lab coat. She’d been in such a rush that she hadn’t even thought about it, but thankfully, her stuff was all safe, although she and Sunset would no doubt have a headache trying to figure out where the hell it went in the interim.

As she walked out of the alley, Nebula couldn’t help but wonder why there was another Smash so soon after the two at the mall. Admittedly, that incident was more of an attack of opportunity rather than anything that seemed legitimately planned. Could today have simply been the actual monster of the week, or was this looking to be an upward trend?

If it is, she thought as she strolled down the sidewalk, then I’m going to need to step up getting a new weapon built... There wasn’t much point in building a driver for Sunset while her Hazard Level was below 3, but it might be worth looking into creating either some sort of adapter, or a single-Fullbottle driver for her. Until then, she’d have to hope that the Beat Closer and Fire Fullbottle would be enough...

Nebula took her phone back out of her coat pocket, and began typing out a message to all her friends. At the very least, she wanted them to know she was okay, even if she was beginning to feel a bit run-down. Plus, they needed to know not to wait up for her, and that she’d meet them there.

All done, guys. :girlGenius

Roads should be clear soon, but you might wanna detour around. :girlGenius

I’ll meet you guys there. :girlGenius

ShimmerCode: Moon and stars, girl, that didn’t take long at all.

ShimmerCode: I’m stuck between two road closures, though.

2Fast4U: At this rate, you’re gonna make me look bad.

As she got to the café, she began feeling a bit light-headed. She didn’t feel nearly as bad as she had the night of the thirtieth, after using the other Magic Match. Still, it was a bit of a pain that she felt so drained after a relatively short stint using the Darkness Fullbottle. Then again, it may simply have been that she was still recovering from the other day. “I’ll have to ask Sunset-san about that, since it’s her field of expertise.”

Upon opening the building’s door, she was greeted by a rather unusual sight: maids. They were coming and going from tables with trays of beverages and snacks, or heading to the counter with trays of empty dishes. A majority of the patronage appeared to be male, but the maid-waitresses gave everyone a smile nonetheless.

It wasn’t just one style, either. One wore a black Victorian dress and a simple white apron, her curly hair tied back beneath a cap. Another wore a pink qipao-style dress with a flared skirt and a frillier apron. Yet another wore a camouflage pattern dress, fingerless gloves, and combat boots. One wore a maid outfit with knee-high boots, an apron, and gloves that looked better suited to a steampunk machine shop.

The maid that came and greeted her, however, seemed to be wearing the most iconic black miniskirt style with a ruffled apron and thigh-highs. “Welcome to the Brighthouse Café, My Lady!” she greeted with a smile, dipping into a bow with her tray clutched against her front. As she stood, she brushed some rainbow-streaked orchid locks out of her face, tucking them behind her ear. “I’m Sunny Starscout, and I’ll be your maid for today.” She gave Nebula a questioning look, before asking, “Table for one, My Lady?”

Nebula shook her head. “I’m... meeting a few friends here,” she admitted, realising that it might have been a good idea to call ahead and make a reservation, rather than assuming they’d have space. “Do you have space for a total party of seven?”

Sunny turned and looked to a particular part of the cafe, and then to an older man in a waistcoat and slacks working the counter. The maid flashed him seven fingers before gesturing back to what was almost assuredly her section. “We can certainly get some tables put together for you.”

While the waitress led her over to a cluster of tables, she considered whether it was worth warning her friends just what kind of café this was. It certainly wasn’t the sort of environment everyone would enjoy, and she had no idea how any of them would react—except for maybe Rarity. Rarity-san would likely enjoy examining their outfit designs. Fluttershy-san might be overwhelmed... Wait... is bringing the Pink Demon here really a good idea?

Soon enough, she was seated, and the maid was ready to take her order. “While you wait for the rest of your friends, can I get you anything?” asked Sunny, who watched as the older man made his way over. “I can start My Lady off with just a beverage, or something light to eat.”

At first, she was going to ask for water, but the fatigue from her transformation and misadventure suggested something a bit more. “How about a large black coffee with as much sugar as you are legally allowed to give me?” she asked. “I’m exhausted and have a serious sugar craving.” Nebula opened the messenger bag still hanging from her body and retrieved the laptop that had been donated by one of the café’s own employees. “There was one of those monster attacks not too far from here, and though I was able to get ahead of it, my friends might be delayed.” As she fetched a USB Mouse from the bag, she added, “I’m just going to get some work on a little side project of mine done.”

Although Sunny looked worried by that revelation, she side-eyed the laptop and then nodded. “Understandable,” said Sunny, accompanied by another bow. “I’ll have your drink right to you.”

The moment the maid waitress left to fetch her over-sugared beverage, Nebula opened up an open-source computer-aided-design software and pulled up the schematics for the Beat Closer, as well as one titled the Rotary Sword-Gun Drill Crusher—courtesy of one Sento Kiryu. As much as she wanted to make the weapon from the encrypted documents, it occurred to her that despite the Million Hit and the Fullbottle empowered Million Smash, their arsenal needed a much more versatile tool than a sword or scythe. We need something that can hit hard up close, or from afar.

It surprised her just how easily she began cannibalising the designs. The most important bits were the mechanisms for empowering the edges of the weapon, as well as converting NG energy into a viable projectile. Once she had those isolated, she quickly opened a sketch-pad app and designed a weapon with three forms. It’d be one large blade, although one edge could be separated from the hilt to act as a second single-edged sword. Working in a gun would be the hard part, though.

As she worked, she noticed the man from the counter looking at her bag and then the laptop. He sat down across from her when Sunny returned with her coffee. “You must be Nebula Moonlight,” he said with some interest. Adjusting his glasses with pale blue fingers, he fixed her with a kind smile. “I was wondering when we’d be seeing you.”

Not wanting to be rude, Nebula saved her work and shut the laptop, instead granting him her complete attention. “I apologise for not coming sooner, Argyle Starshine-san,” she responded, taking a sip of her too-sweet beverage. “Things have been very hectic these last few weeks... between catch-up work, making some friends, and Smash showing up seemingly everywhere I go, I’ve had to reschedule several times.”

Near one of the other tables, the maid in the Victorian style maid uniform stumbled, dropping her empty serving tray. Sunny was over in a heartbeat to help her blue friend back to her feet. The girl seemed slightly panic-stricken at the mention of the monsters that had plagued the city for several weeks, and Nebula could just barely hear the girl asking her friend, “Those things aren’t going to come here, right?”

“It’s understandable.” He turned to watch the two girls. “I know Shining Armour has been talking about the incidents lately.” Running a hand through his dark-blue hair, he sighed. “Just like you, Misty over there was found missing her memory, though she was found in the wake of a Smash attack.” That caught Nebula’s attention. It had only been publicised just this morning that the victims of the transformation had been suffering lapses in memory around the time of their transformation, although the Crystal Prep student that became the Burn Smash was missing the day she went missing, too. “That attack was never reported, because the creature that went on the rampage simply vanished before Guardians could engage. This was back in August.”

Did Nebula dare voice her mounting theory that this Misty girl of his might have been the Smash in question? For that matter, if she was, who defeated the Smash? The Edgelord seems more interested in creating Smash than defeating or containing them, and the unicorn-armoured one seemed more interested in getting me to do it.

“I’m sorry she had to go through that,” she chose to say instead. “I’ve been receiving flashes here or there with the right stimuli, but it doesn’t paint a great picture of my life before. Remembering isn’t always better...”

The fire department and tow companies were taking their time clearing the road. If not for the fact that Sunset Shimmer desired to avoid police scrutiny, she’d have just weaved through the parked cars and gone around one of the roadblocks to change streets. Instead all she could do was walk her bike over to the nearest alley and hope that it connected to the next street over.

If she were being particularly honest with herself, she was worried. It was bad enough when it was just Smash she had to worry about, but then her friends started manifesting the magic that should have left with Princess Twilight Sparkle. Then thrown into the mix was the Kamen Rider, Nebula Moonlight, who seemed to be a bigger danger magnet than the infamous Ponyville back in Equestria. Things became complicated enough when it was revealed that Smash were being created using a gas created with Equestrian magic bleeding through some unstable portal elsewhere in the city.

The girls having magic makes some degree of sense, at least; I could feel the Harmonic magic at work when Rainbow showed it off. Now Nebula was exhibiting that same magic manifestation as the girls, and the only thing Sunset could think was that the Fire Fullbottle was the catalyst. It was purified by Rainbow’s transformation, so maybe it acted as a sort of magical infusion. But when Nebula manifested at the rink, I didn’t feel any of that Harmonic magic...

She kicked a can out of her way and then brushed aside some broken glass with her boot as she turned a corner. I can’t imagine she would have had a particularly large magic reservoir if it only manifested after using Fire... yet she manifested for hours without even really noticing it. Admittedly, when she attempted telekinesis by shaking the Fullbottle as a focus, it was too weak, so maybe... No. I need another certified archmage’s opinion before I start making theories; her health could be at risk. I think I might need to reach out to—

“So, here you are, Red,” came a distorted voice from somewhere above her. Unlike the elephant-armoured freak from the other day, this voice was just barely noticeable as having a feminine quality to it. More than that, though, there was something familiar about it. “I was wondering when I might catch you away from her.”

Above her, Sunset saw a figure clad in a red bodysuit, metal plates and pipes affixed to create a sort of armour not unlike the elephant man. What really caught her attention, however, was the helmet. It was vaguely equine, with two gleaming amber eyes making up the visor, and an exhaust pipe jutting from its forehead at the exact angle an Equestrian unicorn’s horn would.

‘Give back the Fullbottles and Driver that unicorn bitch stole, and the kid doesn’t have to die!’

The figure, rendered androgynous by the armour, dropped down right in front of Sunset and her bike. “You and I need to have a little ‘talk’,” she said, placing a hand on both Sunset and her motorcycle. Smoke erupted from the unicorn figure’s horn and pipes on her shoulders, wrapping around the pair. “Let’s go.”

Fumes choked Sunset’s lungs and made her eyes itch. She had to wrench off her helmet as she coughed and spat, trying to clear her lungs, even as the smoke cleared around her. It was faint, but that felt almost like Equestrian magic... but perverted.

When she could once more breathe, she stood up and sat her helmet upon her motorcycle’s seat, looking around in confusion. Instead of the seedy alley behind a pharmacy, she found herself standing in the courtyard of a mansion. It was of a modern styling, but it had clearly not seen any care or maintenance for a few years at least.

The metal-punk unicorn crossed her arms in front of her and slowly strode over to the steps leading into the entrance. Rather than going up and into the building, however, she turned and relaxed against the stone baluster. Her head was angled in such a way that the vaguely pony-shaped face of the helmet was glaring at Sunset.

“I could hardly believe my eyes when I first saw you, and do you know what I found when I went digging?” she asked after staring for several moments. “Nothing. Even my worm wasn’t that perfect in wiping her from existence, and yet here you stand—an impossible person...” There was bitter laughter that sent a chill down the former unicorn’s spine. “Not a trace of you existed until six years ago—only dead-end records belonging to a girl who may as well be dead... So what are you, really? A clone? A demon?”

Sunset crossed her own arms and glared right back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” It was an absolute lie, but she knew how to sell that sort of denial, even if she didn’t like falling back into old tricks. “How about you tell me who you are, why you have that equipment, and why you made Nebula a Kamen Rider.”

For a quick moment, that bitter laughter became genuine—almost wistful. “Stars, you lie and redirect just like she did, Red,” the armoured figure whispered softly. “My name... Project Re:Build took it from me long ago, but you can call me Lady Amalthea.” Sunset thought that might be a popular culture reference, rather than just the Hippolytan myth, but she couldn’t be sure. “Someone very important entrusted the Transteam System and Unicorn Fullbottle to me, as well as what remained of Project Re:Build. I made her a Kamen Rider in order to right the wrongs of Dr. Daisuke Satonaka.”

A frown creased Sunset’s face as she took in what this person was saying. So many things stood out to her, and she couldn’t just focus on one... Especially if the presumption that Nebula was in fact Dr. Satonaka’s daughter was true. Why would she put the sins of the father on the child, especially if she lost her memory.

Amalthea began cracking her knuckles before pointing at Sunset. “Now how about you answer a question of mine,” she snarled. “How is it that you just so happened to end up in her inner circle, using that name, and that face? Why should I let you parade around at her side like you’re even a person?” Her other hand darted down to the Transteam Gun at her waist, and brandished it at Sunset. “And don’t you dare lie about being Sunset Shimmer.”

Sunset’s hand slipped into her pocket and gripped the Fire Fullbottle. “I can’t tell you, and even if I could, you’d think I’m crazy,” she answered, slowly stepping away from her bike. “I am Sunset Shimmer, and I don’t need your approval to be Nebula Moonlight’s friend!”

[Insert Start: Tainted]

The unicorn armoured Amalthea let out a disgusted scoff before squeezing off several shots. An amaranth barrier shot up at the last moment, and the steam shots exploded harmlessly against it. Rather than staying still, Sunset performed a quick blink spell, placing her at the top of the steps, behind her attacker.

She almost wished she could have seen the expression on the fake unicorn’s actual face when the mist cleared and she was gone. Instead, she cast a fireball spell into Amalthea’s back. Much like the wall of flame she’d cast on Wednesday, this spell was empowered and felt inherently easier to cast.

The explosion caused by the spell sent Amalthea pinwheeling across the ground, only to smash into a decorative fountain that had run dry long ago. Stonework erupted everywhere from the impact, and Sunset reflexively cast a barrier around her bike. She didn’t wait for the dust to settle, instead blinking forward to slowly approach.

Seemingly unperturbed by having been turned into a wrecking ball, her opponent charged out of the dust cloud. A solid punch slammed into Sunset’s stomach, knocking the breath out of her and sending her tumbling. Nothing felt broken, but the armoured figure could hit like a truck.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Amalthea spat, holstering the Transteam Gun. From across her lower back, she withdrew the same bayonet-like device the elephant armoured combined with his pistol to make a rifle. It was brandished at Sunset like a short sword. “You’ve already seen the lengths Blood Hunter will go to. Do you think he’s going to stop now that he knows she lives?” Her hand came up to twist the valve on it.

«Elec Steam!»

A horizontal slash shot several arcs of electricity Sunset’s way. The pseudo-horn granted by agitating the Fire Fullbottle blazed brightly as she conjured a burning barrier before her. Even as the energy crashed harmlessly into the amaranth flames, Sunset readied another quartet of spells.

Although fire magic was her forté, and was inherently empowered by the bottle, Sunset didn’t have archmagus certification in transmutation spells for nothing. A barrier no larger than a pizza box formed high above her, outside Amalthea’s point of view. The moment the barrier was in place, she cast a gravity reversal spell upon herself and blinked into the air beneath it.

When the firewall disappeared, Amalthea could only look around in search of Sunset. Unlike any unicorn worth her salt, who would have lived alongside those who could move on all three axes, this metal faker didn’t look up. That meant she had plenty of time to overcharge the last spell.

“I might not be the Sunset of this reality,” she admitted, drawing her opponent’s attention. “But maybe that’s a good thing! I’ve witnessed what humans mucking with magic that doesn’t belong to them has wrought, and I’ve seen first-hand how stolen power can distort your very being.” Over a hundred spears of fire shimmered into the air around Sunset’s form. “Nebula doesn’t need whatever Sunset you think I’m imitating; if she’s to solve this mess you’ve stuck her with, she needs a real unicorn archmage at her side, plying her with expertise!”

Even without seeing Amalthea’s face, she could practically feel the hate radiating off her opponent as she began raining fire down upon her. The first several bolts she was able to dodge, but eventually, as the rate of fire began to increase, the armoured figure had to begin intercepting the spears with either her Steam Blade or shots from the Transteam Gun. Not every attack could be intercepted, though; more than once, Sunset saw sparks erupting from the armour, and she thought she might have seen one flame lance strike her opponent in the face.

As the last shots converged on her opponent all at once, creating a large dust cloud, she cancelled the gravity reversal and blinked down to the ground. Conjuring elemental weapons was a bit more complicated, as she was only at apprentice-certification with conjuration. Much of the field was restricted due to heavy ties to necromancy and demon summoning, and she had always been more keen on overwhelming firepower than exerting her physical prowess. Still, she managed to conjure a simple greatsword of fire.

Keeping low to the ground, she rushed toward where she remembered Amalthea standing. The moment she saw the shadow up ahead, she brought the flaming edge down in a diagonal slash. The strike, empowered by the Fullbottle and Sunset’s own magic, created a shockwave that blew away all the dust lingering in the air, just in time for her to discover her blade came down on nothing.

«Ice Steam!»

Freezing gas washed over her legs and up body. Ice formed around her limbs, trapping her in the slashing movement, blade-tip down toward the ground. The only part of her not covered was her face, which she assumed was intentional, and the blade, which was burning.

[Insert End]

Amalthea slowly walked around the front of the frozen Sunset. Many parts of the bodysuit were burned black, and some of the metal plating on her back was melted and warped. What surprised Sunset most, however, was the broken visor piece, revealing a hateful blue-green eye.

With a huff that expelled steam through the exhaust-port horn, Amalthea leaned close in and glared. “You’ve got spunk, Red; I’ll admit that much,” she growled, pressing the tip of the Steam Blade against the underside of Sunset’s throat. “You might even be able to help her, just like you said... but I’m not satisfied yet.”

She stood back up and looked away from Sunset Shimmer. “I have no idea if anything you said is true,” the armoured figure admitted with a sigh. “But before I let you fight alongside her, you’re going to show me what kind of monster hides in the depths of your soul.” She twisted the valve on the weapon three times.

«Devil Steam!»

Dark, energised mist wrapped around the edge of the blade. She turned in a quick slash towards Sunset Shimmer, far too close for her to react in time. Tears streamed down the former unicorn’s cheeks as she felt it trying to claw its way into her every pore. No, no, please no!

If it came down to it, Nebula decided as she spoke with Argyle, she could probably find worse places to work. As she conversed with him, she kept an eye on the goings on. At least one police officer seemed to be a regular, it was clear that all of the young women were close friends, interacting with the same friendly dynamic as her own newly acquired friends did. In fact, after just a few minutes, she could draw direct parallels to each of them.

Misty was shy like Fluttershy and klutzy, which seemed to go over surprisingly well with mellow patient customers. The slightly pudgy violet-haired girl in the qipao maid dress, Pipp, on the other hand, was outgoing like Rarity and had a pretty singing voice. Zipp the army-themed maid, on the other hand, was a bit of a tomboy like Dash, but managed to move with grace even in combat boots. Izzy was an eccentric to rival Pinkie Pie, entertaining her patrons with silly rambles. Then you had down-to-earth Sunny, friendly and straight-forward like Applejack.

After maybe twenty minutes, during which time Nebula got a second coffee and had a tray of cookies brought out, her discussion with Argyle ended, and she returned to her design work, she watched five of her confused friends step in the doorway. The moment they saw her, she waved at them, and then not long after, they were led over by Sunny.

As they all took a seat, a blushing Rainbow Dash, glanced over at the army-maid. “This is, uh, quite the place, Neb,” she muttered. “You come here often?”

She merely shrugged and sipped her coffee, looking around. “First time, actually,” she admitted, gesturing at the bag and laptop. “Argyle-san and the staff heard about me, probably from a police officer I know, and had a care package shipped to me because they know how it can be difficult starting from nothing with amnesia.” She let the implication hang in the air before adding, “Been meaning to come by and thank them ever since. It’s a nice place though. Pleasant atmosphere, good coffee.”

Pinkie Pie stuffed one of the cookies in her mouth, watching as Sunny started approaching with some menus. “It’s no Sugarcube Corner, but I can see why you’d like it here, Nebby,” she babbled, getting crumbs everywhere. “You get to know one Sunny more than the rest of the school, and it must remind you of Neighpon!”

They all fixed her with a variety of stares. “Dangit, Pinkie, ain’t that a mite insensitive?” Applejack finally asked when nobody else worked up the energy to respond. “Just ‘cause she speaks the language don’t mean she ever lived there.”

As they waited for their last friend, they all fell into various discussions. Rainbow Dash was curious about what Nebula was working on, so she quietly explained how she was looking to expand her arsenal to account for the whole range issue she had. Admittedly a lot seemed to go over the athlete’s head, but she seemed to think that a sword that could turn into two swords or a gun was a pretty cool concept.

Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy seemed to be in a discussion about the idea of maid cafés. From partially eavesdropping while she spoke with Rainbow, it seemed that Fluttershy had actually been to Neighpon and visited a maid cafe there. AJ was mostly just listening in as the pair started discussing the dresses, but admitted that nothing short of a lost bet would get her dressed up in such an outfit. An interesting bit of gossip was that Rarity recognised two of the waitresses as Mayor Haven’s daughters.

Note to self. See about setting Dash and AJ against one another so that the loser ends up in a maid outfit. I bet Rarity would love to help.

Pinkie, however, had gone over to where one of the staff was taking a break. It sounded like they were animatedly discussing arts and crafts. Nebula wasn’t as crazy as to assume that’s all they were discussing though. Then again, it might just be that people like them were drawn to each other.

It’d been maybe fifteen more minutes before Sunset finally showed up. The others looked like they were about to lay into her when she stepped in through the door. That idea quickly evaporated when she stumbled and caught herself on a nearby chair. It looked as though her friend lost a fight with a truck.

Or had been a Smash, whispered a voice in the back of her mind. The way she’s sweating, it almost reminds me of those I’ve turned back. Nebula watched as her friend gave them all a tired smile. No, she knows who we are.

“Sorry I’m late, you guys,” she greeted in a weary tone as she took a seat beside Rainbow. Sunset’s eyes locked with hers. “I... ran into an... acquaintance of yours. They were not happy with me... Something about me existing really cheesed her off.” The message was clear: she’d gotten into a fight. “Lady Amalthea says ‘Hi,’ by the way.”

Rarity let out a little titter upon hearing that, while Pinkie was a little less decorous. Rainbow was even less polite, letting out a bark of laughter. Nebula, though, wasn’t sure what was so humorous about it, and apparently neither did Sunset. If anything, it sounded familiar, although she couldn’t place how or why it seemed important.

“Someone must have a sense of humour, darling,” remarked the fashionista, smiling knowingly at Sunset. “That name they gave you was from a book and a movie called ‘the Last Unicorn.’” That got a flat look from Sunset, who looked even less enthused than she had before. “And it was an alias used by the eponymous unicorn upon turning into a human.”

Sunset sighed as she buried her head in her hands. “Sweet sunfire,” she groaned, utilising one of those odd expressions Nebula sometimes heard from the Equestrian. “So on top of getting my ass kicked, they had to heap several layers of situational irony on top of it.”

While Sunny took Sunset’s order, Nebula found herself getting lost in thought. Once that film had been mentioned, she found herself humming along a melody that came to her unbidden. When she closed her eyes, she could almost see a younger version of herself seated on a couch, holding the remote to an old VHS player.

“Come on Taiyo-rin,” she remembered herself having said, turning to look at an indistinct figure. Although she couldn’t see their face, they were dressed in sweats and an oversized hoodie, huddled on the side of the couch opposite her. “This movie always cheers me up.”

“No offence, Mahiro,” the other girl responded in her mind’s eye, wrapping her arms around her knees. “I don’t think a sappy kid’s movie is gonna make me feel better about my Mom and Dad.” Although she couldn’t remember her childhood friend’s face, she could remember the tears that came when her friend finally broke down at the end of the movie and was able to express all that built up grief.

When she opened her eyes, she realised she was smiling, tears in her eyes. Everyone around her was staring. Even Argyle was watching with concern from the counter. “I remember... I remember my name.” She looked at every one of her friends and let out a sobbing laugh. “My name was Mahiro...”

The feeling of the nebula gas seeping into her pores bled away slowly. Sunset didn’t feel any different than before, and her body was still encased in ice, post-strike; the conjured blade warmed her hands, and she could already feel her magic pushing against whatever ice was binding her.

Sunset slowly opened her eyes, and found Amalthea crouched down in front of her, her elbow resting on her knee and propping up her chin with her fist. The metal unicorn seemed to be watching in interest, almost as Nebula might. “Interesting.” The eye visible through the broken armour looked Sunset up and down, searching for any sign of mutation. “I was sure that you would have become a Smash.” With a bit of a whine, she added, “So not fair.”

Nebula’s lecture on Hazard levels echoed in her mind. “Hazard Level 2.1 and higher is where things get interesting, at least from a detached point of view,” she’d explained. “It’s at this level that people exposed resist transforming into a Smash and suffer no physiological effects of Nebula Gas.”

Relief filled the former unicorn, even as she smirked at Amalthea. “Where Nebula Gas is concerned, I’m Hazard Level 2.1001,” she jeered, her phantom horn flaring and displacing her five feet backwards. The ice that had encased her body remained where it was, but her conjured weapon vanished. The explanation seemed to startle Amalthea, because she could just make out the widening of the eye behind that broken bit of visor. “That’s right, she told me about Hazard Levels, and even checked mine...”

Giving the Fire Fullbottle, still clutched in her off hand, a few more good shakes, she conjured several more spears of fire around her. “I also know something you don’t,” Sunset continued, holding up two fingers on her main hand, electricity arcing between them. “Those of us with magic have a second Hazard Level, and though I’m only 2.9 and you’re clearly somewhere above 3, I can hurt you... and even if I can’t beat you, I will make it costly for you.”

Lady Amalthea rose from her crouch and slowly brushed dust off herself. Resting her hands at her hips, she stared down Sunset, whose jacket was billowing in the energy rolling off of her. “Alright, I’m satisfied,” the Transteam System user yielded, sheathing her Steam Blade behind her back. She made her way over to Sunset’s bike, and placed a hand on it, before extending the other. “Go, fight alongside her, and keep her safe. She’s a genius and hardy, but she’s also an absolute idiot without anyone to reign her in.”

Tentatively, Sunset Shimmer dismissed her magic and slowly approached, trying to gauge whether this was any sort of trap. The hate that was roiling off Amalthea had turned to a low simmer, and she could no longer feel any desire for a fight from her. Taking her foe’s hand, she was unsurprised when smoke encompassed her and the bike, and had just enough wisdom to hold her breath and shut her eyes.

When she opened them once more, she was back in the alley she’d been plucked from. Of the armoured figure, there was no sign. “Tell Nebula that Lady Amalthea says ‘Hi,’” came the distorted voice from seemingly all around her. “If she has any chance of regaining her memory, that name should jog something loose. If you want more answers, I think you can figure out where to look.”

The empowerment from the Fullbottle left her system, and she felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her. Although she put up a good fight, she still wasn’t used to using so much magic in this human body of hers, and if she hadn’t bought her bluff, the fake unicorn probably would have killed her. If she was going to recover quickly, she needed to get to that cafe and get something incredibly calorie-dense in her.

As she walked her bike out of the alley, though, she found herself thinking about the interaction. Amalthea wasn’t being very subtle that she cared about the person Nebula used to be; she was genuine when she called that someone very important to her... and if she didn’t still care, she wouldn’t have bothered coming after me.

Getting onto the roadway, she put her helmet back on and began making her way to the café. What I don’t get is why she cares whether or not I am involved. What was this world’s Sunset Shimmer to Amalthea, and to the person Nebula used to be? There was something else about what she said, too. Only dead-end records belonging to a girl who may as well be dead.

I had no luck finding the human Sunset. Were there sealed records out there? Am I at risk of meeting my other self? It was bad enough knowing that if Princess Twilight came through the portal the next time it was open she had a non-zero chance of meeting her human counterpart, but now Sunset had to worry about her own counterpart, and what—if any—ties she had to Project Re:Build.